Bedbugs are parasites that feed on human blood. The preferred habitat of bedbugs is areas where people sleep, specifically beds. Bedbugs have been known for thousands of years. They were nearly eradicated in the developed world by 1950's and 1960's but recently they have become an increasingly serious problem, especially in densely populated areas.
Bedbugs are easily spread in clothing, luggage, suitcases and so on as people travel. Recycling of furniture and clothing may also spread bedbugs. There may be bed bugs in movie theaters, in hotel rooms or any place where there are people. Importantly bedbug infestation is not directly related to sanitation level. Bedbugs are very small and therefore difficult to detect. Furthermore, they are active during night time which makes their detection even more difficult.
When a residence or a building is suspected to be infested by bedbugs, usually the bugs are eradicated by use of pesticides, such as pyrethroids, carbamates or malathion. However, pesticides may cause health effects to humans. Therefore, methods not including pesticides are preferred in eradication of bedbugs. Other methods such as blowing hot air into the space may be used.
A special problem arises when an area is wanted to keep clean from bedbugs, but for some reason there is a need to bring infested items, such as clothing or linens to the space. Usually washing and drying the clothing or linens would eradicate the bugs, because bedbugs similarly as many other insects cannot survive temperatures over 120 F. However, there are situations where a washer and dryer are not available, for example when people return clothing or linens to department stores, or in emergency rooms or clinics.
Even if the fact that bedbugs cannot survive temperatures over 120 F (48.8° C.) has been utilized in various methods and devices known in the art, there is still no easy and practical way to treat clothing and linens when for example returned to a department store, or when a person comes into an emergency room.
US patent application 2003/0029605 discloses an improved heat exchange apparatus for insertion in a housing. The apparatus comprises a heating unit outside the house with tubing providing heated steam into the house.
US patent application 2009/0145019 discloses an apparatus comprising a carbon dioxide emission to lure bed bugs and a circuit controlling a heat source to elevate the temperature to kill the lured bedbugs.
US patent application 2007/0084105 discloses a mobile system including heating units for providing heated air, the mobile system being transported to desired location and connected with a duct to a structure where the pests are to be destroyed
U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,140 discloses an enclosure made of heat resistant flexible material where heated outside air is introduced into the enclosure to provide lethal temperature inside the enclosure
U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,901 discloses a method to pest extermination by determining air flow parameters in an area and introducing heated air to the area with prerequisite flow rate and initial temperature
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,320 discloses a trap for cockroaches including a heating element providing a temperature that attracts the pests and then periodically providing a higher heat to kill the pests.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,994 discloses a method to eradicate pest by circulating heated air from bulk products after specifying the heating requirements based on product density, weight and volume.
International patent application publication WO2012/037111 discloses a portable heat chamber made of panels and including at least one heater and at least one fan to increase the temperature inside the chamber.
The bedbug problem is rapidly spreading not only in the big cities but everywhere in this and other countries. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for novel devices and methods to eradicate bedbugs. Specifically there is a need for a simple and easy to use device.
Embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more details below.